Method of making sound-records.



J. W. OWEN. METHOD OF MAKING SOUND RECORDS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1909.

Patented July 30,1912. 1

R o T w E V m WITNESSES I ATTORNEY UNITED strains-PATENT; OFFICE.

:rnmns w. ownn,

- MACHINE co'mrmw, A

OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO VICTOR TALKING CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF MAKING SOUND- RECORDS.

Patented July so, 1912.

Original application filed May 4, 1908, Serial No. 430,657. Divided and this application filed July 30', 1909.

1 Serial No. 510,408.

-. ful Method of Making Sound-Records,

of which the following is a full, clear, and

' exact disclosure, reference being had to the of the original,.this application recorded surface I show a still furtheraceompaiiyingdrawin gs, forming part of this specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved method whereby a matrix or a record of sound may be produced, so marked for identification that duplicates thereof cannot be formed or dubbed from it without incorporating 'into such duplicates the identification marks being a division of my prior application, Serial No. 430,657, filed May 4, 1908, upon which issued United States Letters Patent No. 964,686, dated July- 19, 1910.

. This method is preferably utilized to form an identification mark or marks within the of the record, the term recorded surface being used to define the whole or any part of the surface of the undulatory-sound groove or ridge of a record or of the surface between the turns of such oove or ridge. Preference is givento an identification mark or marks such as a word or words, or characters of any description, that will indicate the origin of the record or that will give any other information desired. In thedrawings forming apart of this application, in which the same reference characters are used to designate like parts throughout the various views, Figures 1 to 3 illustrate one method of forming identification marks in a sound record matrix; Figs.

4, 5 and 6 show a modified manner of carrying out the said method; Figs. 7 8 and 9 modified process of marking a sound record matrix; Fig. '10 is a fragmental plan view and Fig. 11 a fragmentary sectional view of a sound record tablet having identification marks formed in therecorded surface thereof.

In the application of this method, a masany of the ordinary ways, such as by cutting or engraving a soft record blank with a stylus actuated by sound waves, and a matrix 1 is then such as copper or zinc.

formed from the master record in any usual manner, for instance by electro-platlng the master record with copper and then stripping the copper deposit therefrom, the stripped deposit constituting the matrix. Having thus formed a matrix in the usual manner, a negative of the distinguishing marl? or marksto be appliedto the record is then formed in the matrix. The forming of the distinguishing mark in the matrix may be accomplished in various ways, some of which are as follows Referring first to the process illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 of thedrawings, a matrix 1 is provided on its back with the mark which it is desired to have appear uponthe face of the finished record and in the face of the record formed therefrom. This mark may I be formed by depositing upon the back of the matrix a thin layer or deposit 2 of metal,

' This layer or deposit should have the contour of the mark ultimately to be produced. I may, howe er, form the mark by coating the entire back of the matrix with thin layer of metal, and then removing portions of the deposited metal with a suitable agent, the action of which is to dissolve or eat away portions of the .layei leaving parts standing out in relief on the back of the matrix. Having thus formed the mark on the back of the matrix by elevating and depressing portions of the surface thereof, so that parts of the back are out of the plane of the surrounding surface of the back of the matrix, the mat ix may then be united 'to a suitable backing. by any well known manner asby a sweating process, that is tosayfa soldering of the matrix to the backing under high pressure. In doing this a sheet of any. suitable elastic; material such as asbestos should be placed over the face ofthe matrix in order to prevent the press fronuinjuring tlid'record of sound.

In thus uniting the matrix to the backing under pressure, the mark, formed on the back of the matrix will. be pressed throughto the face of the matrix and will plainly ablythe edge r. the cled so that thestylus around the'mark be raised above the plane of the surface of the mark itself. Pref'ermark's'hould be bev-c in running from the elevation or depresslon caused by the mark, will not produce an undesirable sound during the reproduction of the sound of the record To this end,the'deposit formed on the back of the matrix should also be provided with beveled edges, that is, with surfaces slowly running into the surface surrounding the 7 mark.

In carryingout this process, it will be observed that the mark formed on the back of the'matrix isforced or-impressed into the recordedsurface of the matrix, and appears upon the face thereof by reason sure used in uniting the matrix to the back ing,-the elastic cushion on the face of the record allowing portions 10f the matrix to be permanently bent crflexed or forced into of "the presv a plane different from the plane of the surrounding surface, andr'when so" bent; said surface will permanently remain in such bent condition. It is not necessary, how-- ever, that the mark be forced into the surface during the process of uniting the matrixto the backing, inasmuch as it is ob-- svio'us that the part which I have designated as the-backing 3.need not be such .a backing as is permanently united to the matrix, that is-to say, the backing may merely be to force the mark formed, on the back of the matrix through to the face of the matrix, so that it appears on the face" of the matrix as an elevation or' depression. It "is, however,

{very convenient to mark the record during I the process by" which it is united to the backing.

InFigs. 4 to 6, a modification of the above process is shown, the process differing only in that the thin layer of material constituting the mark 2 or the surface around the of the backing matrix, c When mark is formed on the face instead of on the back of the so formed and united as above described, a

similarr'sultwill be produced, namely, the

mark which'was formed on the face of the backing will be-forced into and through the matrix, andwill appear *on the face of the matrix; Inthis modification, also the part- -which has" been designated as the backing 3 may be in-realitya'die having elevated or 1 the" matrix and the depressed "portions in *its surface, whereby the mark inay beforced 'orimpressed nto matrix'm'ay be unitedto any iothiarsditable backing.

In Figsf? tog9.

the thin layer for deposit formingd'theinark is formed on the back of the bee ng'yand when the, matrix and the backing are united'imder pressure, the mark f will be" impressed .throu throughthe matrix, an

h the bacln'ng and it will appeal? on the face'flof the matrix a V a ng uf v material maybe loosely-into formed by thereto; or the mark might; be pro will be observed that the depth of the groove itself is not to be changed. Thegrooved surface will merely be slightly displaced sufficiently to form a mark visible to the eye, in the highly polished surface of the matrix, but the elevation of the mark will be slight and the edges of the mark should be preferably beveled into the; surrounding surface, so that no sound will be produced in the finished record, formed from the matrix, when the stylus traverses the elevation or depression.

In FigUIO, I have shown a letter as constituting a mark impressed into the recorded surface of the matrix and showing on the face-of the matrix as a slight elevation, and Fig. 11 'is asection on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10, showing how the mark.would be depressed into thejrecor ded surface of a 7 commercial record. I

In carrying out myprocess, it "Willbe observed that the mark "be formed in other'w'ays than those tvhiclr have been described; A thin separatd slieet or] piece of rp'o'sed be'tween the matrix and the adjacent backing and retained there-"whenth'e matrix and backing are united. "The mark"'may be 7 painting a desired markiupon either of the adjacent-surfacesof'the"matrix orbacking, or uponthe back of the bac'king, and the same result would be accomplished in the finished matrix: f 3

In carrying out my-invention, I preferably locate .t-he mark in thematrix so that it will appear in the recorded surface of the record, so as to make it practically impossible to duplicate or dub the record ywithout incorporating into the duplicate thejfrnark' formed in the original record anjdTmatrix, although the mark maybe formed-fin the matrix or finished record in 'otherplaces than in the recordedsurfaceij- It is obvious that by any of these'methods the mark may be produced asa depression in the face of the record instead of-tisa projection by forming thedeposit over all of the 'back of t-he'm'atrix or over allof the front of the-backing except an area corresponding to the mark-, 'instead "of everjthe' area of the mark, and then uniting'the back ing to the matrixas heretofore. It'is also-obvioiisthat; instead of*- an electro-depositupon the back of-the matrix or upon-the faceof the :backing, any 'ot-her means may be used to produce a thickiiess of material, or a depression, corresponding-1n *contour to the mark desired,between-*the' matrix and the backing, or between-the matrix and any means'o'f applying ressure uced in relief or as a depressiondn the face ,of't'he matrix'by the pressure ar die upon the back of-the matrix, the face of thematrix being protected from injury by a layer of Patent of the United States is:

I of the recorded surface out of the plane of recorded surface of the matrix.

duced in the face of the record. The mark is so proportioned as to make only a slight yielding material, as heretofore described, or in any other suitable manner.

,The matrices formed as above described are preferably plated with nickel to give a smooth finish and to protect the same from corrosion.

Commercial sound records are formed in the usual manner from the matrices thus produced and the distinguishing mark upon the face of the matrix is obviously reprodisplacement of the normal recorded surface of the record and has no appreciable phonetic effect iri the reproduction of sound from the record, as heretofore explained, but the mark is clearly visible to the ordinary observer.

WVhile I have described a number of ways in which this invention may be practised, I do not limit myself to any one of the exact ways above described, since various changes might be made in the application of the method Within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what- I claim and desire to protect by Letters 1. The method of marking a record of sound, WlllCll conslsts 1n forcing portions ghe adjacent portions of the recorded surace.

2. The method of marking a matrix of a record of sound which consists in perma-' nently bending portions of the recorded sur face out of the plane of the adjacent p013 tions of the recorded surface. l

3. The method of marking a record of sound which consists in impressing a mark having a predetermined configuration in the 4:. The method of marking a matrix of arecord of sound which consists in pressing said matrix ainst a backing, one of the adjacent S111 es of said matrix andbacking having a portion in a plane different from the plane of the adjacentportions.

5. The method of marking a matrix. of a record of sound, which consists in forming the desired marks on one of the adjacent surfaces of the matrix and backing, and uniting said matrix and backing under pressure.

6. The method of marking a matrix for sound records, which consists in applying a backing to said matrix and simultaneously displacing a portion of the face of said ma trix.

. 7. The method of marking a matrix for sound records which consists in placing a thickness of material, on apartof the back of said matrix and securing a backing to said matrix under pressure.

8. The method of marking a matrix for sound records, which; consists in interposing a thickness of material corresponding in contour to the mark: desired between said matrix. and the. backing and opposite to the recorded surface of said matrix, and securing the backing to said matrix under pressure.

9. The method of marking a matrix for sound records, which comprises electroplating a portion of the back of said: matrix and then pressing said electroplated P01? tion into said matrix to upon the face of the matrix,

10. The method of marking a matrix for sound records, which comprises electroplat- .ing a portion of the back of saidmatrix opposite the recorded surface thereof, and.

produce a mark then pressing said electroplated portion into said matrix to the face of the matrix.

11. The method of marking a matrix for sound records, which comprises applying a. yielding cushion to theface' of the matrixand a rigid backing to the baekfof the matrix, interposing a thickness of material .cor-

responding in contour to themark desired between the matrix and said backing, and

applying force to saidbacking.

12. The methodof marking a matrix for sound records, which comprises applying a yielding. cushion to the face of said matrix and sweating a backing to the back of said matrix under pressure, a thickness of material corresponding in contour to the mark desired having been interposed between 1, saidmatrix and said backing. 1:13. The method of marking a matrix for sound records, which comprises applying a yielding cushion -to the face of said matrix and sweating a backing to-the back of said matrix under pressure, a thickness of material cor; spending in contour to the mark desired having been interposed between said matrix and said hacking and opposite the recorded surface of said matrix.

1 1. The method of mark .ig a matrix for sound records, which comprises making a deposit on one of the adjacent surfaces of the backing and the matrix, said deposit produce-. mark upon having a tapered edge, and applying pressure to said deposit to displace a portion of the face of said matrix.

In witness whereof, I .have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of July, 1909.

' JAMES W. OWEN. Witnesses:

RALPH L. FREEMAN, -FRANK B: MIDDLETON, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for. five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Tatents,

- Washington, D. G. 

